Only For You
by JZ65
Summary: Jo x Meg. The end, wasn't really the end. A fallen Hero rises from the ashes of a suicidal mission, but will she face much more terrifying situations that before? How can you love if you don't know what the simple word truly means? Yuri Jo/Meg
1. In the Ashes

**First Burst Angel fic. I fell deeply for this anime... It just felt wrong at the end though. So I guess I'm trying to squash this empty feeling I got at the end by making a better one? Sure I'm up for a tragedy every once 'n a while, but this just seemed like one of those shows to where you were supposed to smile as the main character beats the last bad guy and lives (maybe not happily ever after, I am a rather cinical person) but just happy... This is going to start off with the very last episode (not the Infinity thingy) and have a little change in the ending. This story will be full of Romance (Jo x Meg), humor, some angst... pretty much a little of everything. Hope you enjoy it! I know there aren't too many Burst Angel fics out there, so please leave a review!**

**-I don't own Burst Angel**

**-JZ**

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**Chapter One: In the Ashes**

"Jo…?" Meg's whisper seemed to echo throughout the desolation that only a certain Angel of Death could create. The entire skyscraper had been turned into rubble, which laid idly on the surrounding roads and buildings. The sun was setting behind her, triggering a soft red glow to enhance the light given off by the rouge patches of fire. "Jo…" She clenched Jo's coat (which she was wearing) and felt hot tears burn her face. Her eyes searched frantically around the destruction and finally caught a glint of a shiny piece of metal. "JANGO!" Meg shouted, climbing over debris in order to get close to the machine.

"Meg…?" Amy's voice came from below the red-head, sounding scared. "Meg, where is Sei and Jo?" Meg saw Amy's lower lip tremble and she automatically knew that the little actor was being entirely serious. "Where is Sei? I want Sei and Jo back, please…"

"Amy." Leo put a hand on the little girl's slender shoulder, trying to comfort the girl as best he could. "They fought with everything they had."

"Leo, I found Jango." Meg called to him, desperately attempting to keep her own sobbing at bay so she could be strong for Amy. Meg began to pull open the hatch of Jango, just to check. She knew it was probably hopeless, but she had to try. Her eyes widened at what she found.

"LEO! I need your help right now!" Meg shouted as she finally managed to open the hatch as far as it could go. "It's Sei!" Quickly Meg checked her pulse, relief washing over her when she felt a pulse. It was slow and faint, but it was still a pulse.

"M-meg…"

"Shh, Sei don't talk right now. Leo is coming up here to help me get you out." Meg hushed her boss, a need to protect washing over her. "What did Jo shoot you for being such an idiot?" She asked, trying to lighten up the mood. It worked for a moment, as their leader gave a small laugh, but reality sank in quickly. Jo was still missing.

"It's good to see you alive Sei." Leo told her, lifting her out of Jango as gently as possible. Leo was able to get her to the trailer quickly, but seemed to have his mind somewhere else. He started to patch Sei up, putting makeshift stitches and bandages over the gunshot wounds. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are to be alive?"

"N-not luck." She choked out; pain killers hadn't begun to work their magic yet. Amy was next to her, grasping her hand tight enough to make it go numb. The girl had been crying into her arm ever since Leo got Sei inside.

"This isn't the time to be arrogant." Leo growled, the stress had made his normally easygoing personality turn very serious and brittle. He owed Jo his life… A debt that he feared wouldn't be repaid.

"I'm not… J-Jo… shoved me inside Jango b-before she…"

"blew the place up?" Leo finished for her. Sei nodded. Leo's features softened. It sounded like something the gunslinger would do. It seemed like everyone owed their life to the mercenary.

"M-meg?" Sei questioned, looking around slightly.

"She is outside, still looking for Jo." Leo spoke sorrowfully. It was a miracle that Sei was alive even though she was inside of Jango. He felt bad for leaving the happy going cowgirl stranded in the middle of nowhere, but it was for her own safety. That was what Jo had told him, and he knew it was better to respect her wishes. Leo laughed as he thought back to all the times he and Jo had argued over Jango. He could never quite convince the girl to be more careful, and she could never convince him that it was useless to wax the machine. Perhaps they should have both learned from their constant squabbles.

"What's funny?" Amy growled, glaring at him with eyes that were brimmed with pain and sadness, both of which a girl her age should not have to bear.

"I was just thinking about how tough Jo has been on Jango." He chuckled a little more, but it was an empty laugh. Both Amy and a nearly unconscious Sei gave small smiles.

"Don't talk about her like she's gone." Meg told them fiercely, her blue eyes freezing everyone in place. Both Amy and Leo had been too distracted to notice Meg had entered the trailer. "Jo isn't gone. No… she wouldn't leave me."

"Meg, I'm done patching up Sei. How about you and I go look for Jo?" He suggested, earning a knowing nod from Meg. "Amy, keep an eye on Sei." The young girl nodded determinedly. Both the mechanic and the cowgirl stepped out of the trailer and back into the harsh reality of a broken world.

"I know what you are going to say." Meg told him devastated. "You're going to tell me that Jo is… that she is…" But Meg just couldn't bring herself to admit the loss of Jo. Leo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, much like he did to try and soothe Amy.

"I don't want to give up either." He said as he looked up at the heap of burning rubble. "It is unreal."

"I made a promise to Jo. I said that I would always be by her side. She promised me that she would always protect me. Leo, how is leaving me alone protecting me?" Tears fell down her face as she too gazed up at the pile of debris. Meg's eyes widened at the sight of a single cloth waving in the breeze. It was such a familiar material; in fact, it was the very scarf Meg had given to Jo.

"I don't know kid, I don't know…" Leo answered, not noticing the scarf until he followed Meg's gaze. Feeling twice his age, he too had to fight back tears. Jo was a fighter, a good one, no… the best. She fought for her friends, for mankind, but most of all… she fought for Meg. The relationship between the two was obvious to everyone except Meg… and of course Jo. Jo was clueless even in the sense of what friendship truly was sometimes. The engineered warrior had incomparable combat instincts and logic, but she couldn't understand emotions very well… it might have been Jo's only downfall. Jo was always oblivious to second meanings, metaphors (mainly because she always found a flaw in them), and human interactions. Everything that she did know had taken a lot of time to learn, but even without being the world's greatest talker, Jo never failed a friend. "Meg, you know she cared a lot about you."

"No she didn't. If she cared about me, she wouldn't have left me. If she cared, she wouldn't have gone on a suicide mission, or abandon me, or… or…" Meg hugged the jacket she was wearing, soaking in the faint scents of gunpowder and hot sauce. "Why did you have to die? Why did you have to get yourself killed? You were human, no matter what anyone else said. I know you were, because I felt it. Jo why the hell did you break every promise you ever made me!" Meg shouted into the air, dropping to her knees on the rough gravely floor.

"Why are you shouting?" A voice came from their left side. It was tough and raspy, but unmistakably familiar. Sure enough limping out of a building that had the roof caved in from debris, came the one and only Jo. She was covered in blood, gashes, bruises, and dirt… but there she was, hobbling slowly, looking half dead as she swayed side to side in time with her steps. Her shirt had various rips in it, and her chaps as well, but at least she was alive.

"JO!" Meg screamed, running full blast towards her friend. As she approached (Leo was hot on her tail) she finally began to realize the seriousness of Jo's condition. Even though the other girl was walking, Meg could easily tell that it was proving an impossible task. It was painfully obvious that Jo was simply defying all possibilities yet again, by continuing toward Meg. Seeing that, Meg picked up even more speed, refusing to waste another second away from Jo. As soon as Meg was close, Jo's legs gave out. Luckily Meg caught her and tried to support the other girl as best she could. Leo was there in a heartbeat, lifting Jo off the ground and carrying her like he did Sei.

"Are you o-okay?" Jo asked Meg when she too was placed on the opposite couch in the trailer.

"Jo, I should be asking you that." Meg cried out, tears soaking Jo's jacket with even more vigor than before. "I'm fine Jo, now that you are here."

"B-but you are crying? Did someone hurt you?" Jo asked seriously, suddenly trying to sit up. Leo was attempting to hold the Genocide Angel down, but it was proving an implausible task even with Jo critically injured.

"JO STOP!" Meg shouted firmly at Jo, making the other girl freeze in her attempts to stand. Sitting in front of Jo, Meg absentmindedly ran her hand through the girl's silver hair as she watched Leo fix Jo up. After an hour, Leo had done the best he could. He knew that he would have to call a doctor as soon as it was possible, but right now they had to get out of this place. Leo went to drive whilst Amy had fallen asleep on an equally asleep Sei. That left Meg and Jo alone in the living space. Meg had made her way on the couch and Jo was now resting her head on Meg's lap. Meg continued with soothing strokes through the silver hair. Tears occasionally dripped down onto Jo's face, making the stoic girl flinch involuntarily each time.

"Answer me Meg. Why are you crying?" Jo's voice was firmer now after having medical attention. "Who hurt you?"

"You idiot…" Meg said angrily, but quietly. "You hurt me Jo. You hurt me by leaving without me. I thought you had… I didn't think you made it Jo."

"That doesn't make sense." Jo countered, confused at the logic Meg was using. "I always come back."

"Then why did you leave me your jacket? Face it Jo, you didn't think you were going to make it." Meg whispered, a few more tears rolling down her face and landing on Jo's cheeks.

"Is that why you are crying? Because I made you angry?" Jo asked, hoping for an answer that made sense.

"No, I'm crying because I'm happy Jo. You are alive. And because of that, I'm happy."

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**Yes, Jo is alive and so is Sei. But now they will have to rebuild together. How will Jo take to being injured? What new problems arise in the ashes of fallen villians? How mad is Meg really? (i personally would be more of a Jo character myself) So In the Ashes rises our favorite Gunslinger, Jo. I hope you like this first chapter. Leave me a review! Burst Angel is really a very good Anime and Manga.**

**-JZ**


	2. Lost

**Hope you like this chapter. It is a little longer and leave some reviews, haha. It is open to anyone. Read and review.**

**I don't own Burst Angel**

**-JZ**

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_"No, I'm crying because I'm happy Jo. You are alive. And because of that, I'm happy."_

Silence enveloped them, neither knowing how to precede. A few minutes passed and when Meg looked down at Jo she was greeted with a rather adorable sight, the gunslinger was fast asleep. Her breathes were short and strained. Meg marveled at how vulnerable the lethal mercenary looked. It was only when Jo was sleeping that the girl couldn't hide the stress and exhaustion her dangerous life brought. Jo rarely allowed pain to be seen, immediately seeing it as a sign of weakness, but right now… Meg could see all the agony the past few days had brought the misunderstood Angel of Hell. Meg smiled as she too succumbed to her own exhaustion.

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"Hey Kyohei, hurry up! Sei is hungry!" Amy demanded loudly. Jo groaned as she was ripped from her black sleep.

"I'm alright Kyohei. Amy be nice to the boy." Sei chided weakly. Jo still had her eyes closed, but she could sense where she was. However, she did not sense a certain warm presence that was named Meg. Upon this discovery, Jo hastily pulled herself up, eliciting a deep grunt at the strain. The smaller cuts and bruises had healed, but not her surely broken ribs or deep gashes.

"Looks like you woke Jo up." Kyohei told the tech child. Amy, in response, abandoned her food raid and hid behind a sitting Sei. The girl seemed to be nearly shaking behind a relaxed Sei.

"Hurts like hell, hmm?" Sei questioned amused, sipping some fresh tea. Jo groggily glanced at her and the hiding girl.

"It's fine." Came Jo's blank reply. Her face was in its same stoic, mysterious, uninterested expression. "Where's Meg?"

"Shower." Amy piped up, testing the waters. Since Jo didn't try to shoot her or glare at her, Amy figured it was safe enough. "Cook Jo some dinner! She MUST be starving! She has slept away the entire day." The girl began ordering the young chef around again. Kyohei sighed, but followed the child's orders. Instead of joining Sei at the table, Jo turned down the hallway, still limping slightly.

"Where are you going? It's going to be done soon… Oh I also bought some special hot sauce Jo. They say it's the best!" The boy explained, hot steam filling the kitchen. Jo ignored him completely.

"Where are you going?" Sei questioned, inhaling her tea deeply.

"To check on Meg." Came the flat emotionless response.

"B-but she's showering." Kyohei sputtered before letting out a sigh and deciding it was just best if he kept his nose in the kitchen.

"And?" Jo asked, not seeing his point. Both Sei and Amy fought to hold back giggles. Jo shot them a confound look before continuing down the hallway slowly.

When she reached the door to her and Meg's room, Jo turned the handle with extreme familiarity and walked in. Not hearing anything, she quickly closed the door behind her and went to their dresser, expecting to find a new pair of clothes. Opening her drawer, she saw that everything was gone. Quickly tearing open her second drawer she saw that that too was completely emptied. Bewildered, she scanned the room and for the first time noticed that all her clothes littered the floor. True their room was never really clean, but you could normally at least see the floor.

"What the hell?" Jo voiced her confusion, not understanding why everything that Meg had often referred to as "Jo's stuff, touch and you will be shot" was in disarray. Jo found it even stranger that she wasn't enraged; in fact she couldn't pick out any anger within herself. But there was a sense of being lost… as if she didn't know where she really was anymore. The normally warm and cozy room no longer gave off a welcoming essence, but rather screamed that guests were not acceptable.

Clothes were haphazardly thrown around, Jo's horror films were scattered about, even her collection of rare and valuable guns, knives, and ammunition were violently removed from their locked safe. The same safe that Meg had bought her (because the cowgirl was afraid that Jo might leave them lying around and they might get broken). Meg was fully aware at how priceless those weapons were to Jo, how much time and care Jo put into them. But the safe was a number combination, a little bit old school, but effective. And only Jo knew the combination… and Meg.

"Meg did this?" Jo whispered to herself, perplexed by the red-head's irrational action. The gunslinger couldn't think of a reason why Meg would messy up the room so badly. Taking a step towards the bed, Jo heard something crack under her boot. Looking down she saw an old rusty revolver that didn't hold any market value anymore. No, this gun was much more important that… It was the first gun she obtained, when she had first met Meg. But that wasn't what caught Jo's eye; no, it was what was beneath the gun. Underneath the rusty memory was Jo's jacket, the jacket that Jo had given to Meg. The jacket that had been through a lot, but always made it through… just like Jo. Suddenly Jo had to bite back a whimper as a swift pain shot through her chest. Unsure of this new inner wound, Jo stiffly bent down and picked up the jacket, not even noticing her prized possession clatter to the floor. It was just a stupid, replaceable article of clothing; yet it physically hurt Jo to see it thrown around like trash… or perhaps it hurt that it was Meg who disregarded the coat so quickly. The gunslinger knitted her eyebrows, confused by this new tormenting sensation that ripped throughout her entire body, burning hotter than any fire, yet chilling the very blood in her veins. Abruptly Jo heard the bathroom door open and Meg walked into the room in nothing but a towel. The cowgirl immediately spotted Jo, and the jacket in the gunslinger's hands.

"What are you doing in here?" Meg growled, rage building inside of her.

"I thought you said you were happy?" Jo asked, uncertainty seeping into her normally stoic voice.

"I was happy Jo! I was happy that you were alive!" Meg tried to explain to the confused girl, but her voice was still red hot with anger.

"You aren't happy anymore?" Jo said, her mind trying to comprehend Meg's situation.

"No Jo, I'm not." Meg's anger was building, and now the bucket had reached its limit. Meg was gonna explode, and Jo was her one and only target.

"You're mad." Jo stated emotionlessly, having finally solved the puzzle. Sadly for her, that proved to just be a spark for Meg to light up with.

"Mad? You think I'm mad? I am so beyond MAD! You idiot! How could you be so stupid! Why the hell are you even still here?" Meg screamed at Jo, voice actually vibrating the room. In response, Jo's eyes widened in utter confusion at the outburst. Also, being startled by Meg's sudden detonation, Jo had stumbled backwards a few steps. Meg's eyes flared as she thought Jo was trying to just walk away from her. Meg stomped straight up to the gunslinger and using every ounce of strength that she possessed, Meg slapped Jo across her left cheek and snatched the jacket protectively away. Realizing that she had a tight embrace on the jacket, Meg growled and threw it back onto the floor. In the process of her little tirade, Meg had dropped the towel. Jo was staring at her (straight in the eyes) but Meg was still unnerved by Jo's stillness. "Get out. I can't even look at you! Get Out! Get OUT! GET OUT!" Meg erupted, practically chasing Jo out of the room.

Utterly confused, Jo was slinked towards the living room/ kitchen area. As the disorientated gunslinger reached the room, all eyes focused on her and the red mark quickly forming on her cheek. She didn't realize it though, still lost in her own thoughts. Sharp pains bit at her, forcing her to acknowledge that her injuries had been bothered. Even though she did acknowledge it, she still ignored the pain and continued on like nothing happened. Still not looking at the small group in the kitchen, Jo opened the drawer to her Desert Eagles and began to load the magazines.

"Uh, what happened?" Amy blurted out. Kyohei ducked back into the kitchen, afraid of getting shot, while Sei gave Jo a curious expression.

"Meg is mad."

"I think we understand that!" Amy said exasperatedly. Seriously, Jo was so vague sometimes.

"You do?" Jo asked, not sarcastically either. She was genuinely perplex at how quickly they understood the situation.

"You don't, do you Jo?" Sei questioned. Jo's silence was enough to confirm the leader's suspicions. "What are you doing?"

"Meg said that she can't even look at me." Jo told them as if that would answer all their questions. Still getting looks from the duet, Jo continued to explain. "She also told me to get out."

"Jo you can't just leave. You're more injured than I am. Just give Meg some space." Sei suggested, not wanting the gunslinger to go out and get herself in more trouble.

"Meg said to "Get Out" so that's what I'm doing." Jo replied simply, holstering her pistols. Sei knew there was no reason to try and talk Jo out of it now… There was no changing that kid's mind, unless it was Meg of course.

"You're coming back, right Jo?" Amy practically begged, tears quickly forming in her eyes. Sei knew that Amy wasn't acting because tears wouldn't affect Jo at all… So Amy was genuinely concerned about Jo's return. Jo answered with a curt, but firm nod. That nod was as good as someone vowing on their life, and Amy knew it. Amy's smile immediately returned to her face, as bright as ever. "Also Leo wanted me to tell you that he left to fix Jango up. He was muttering something about how it's going to take forever for him to wax it now."

"Damn moron. There is no point in waxing Jango." Jo rumbled quietly, heading out the door and into the cool crisp afternoon. As she ambled the streets, no clear decision on where to go, Jo began to feel raindrops casually fall from the sky. They were cold and helped numb the ache in her chest. Soon the soft drops turned into heavy splats against much of her bare skin. The gunslinger's short hair was flattened by the heavy rain, but she made no attempt to escape the downpour. She continued in that rain for at least an hour, until she heard someone screaming. Frozen in place, Jo used her enhanced combat skills to decisively find the offending noise. A shop across the street was being robbed, and the clerk held her shaky hands in the air.

"Give me the damn money!" A rough voice bellowed at the young girl. "Do you want to die?" He asked sarcastically, pressing his pistol against her head. She was in tears now…

"I told you, that is all we have. The boss took the money from the week already." She blurted out, closing her eyes as she felt the man press much harder with the cold gun.

"Well it aint enough." He laughed out, banging one hand on the counter, making the poor girl jump. "Too bad for you." The girl screamed and a shot exploded through the shop. "FUCK! My hand!" The man cried, clutching his wrist that now had a bullet hole through it. His gun fell to the floor, blood dripping on top of it.

"You're lucky it was just your hand." Jo's calm voice caused the frightened girl to open her eyes. "I don't normally give second chances." The man just stood there dumbly, glancing at the gunslinger with hateful eyes. Jo cocked her head slightly, narrowing her eyes. "Oh well, I guess you want to die."

"N-no! I'm so sorry, I uh… didn't mean it!" He quickly threw his hands in the air, blocking his face.

"Your weak arms won't stop a bullet, you do realize that right?" She asked him.

"Please don't kill me." He begged, bowing his head. Tears ran down his face, and loud sobs rang out.

"Then leave and never come back." Jo told him, the man already started to run out the front door. As he ran passed her though, she grabbed his shirt and yanked him back. "If you do, I will kill you." Her eyes turned bloody crimson and her tattoos glowed. Releasing the man, she watched him run out the door, shouting something like pleas for his life.

"Thank you so much." The girl said, drying her tears. Jo just gave a cold nod and turned to leave. "Wait, you aren't going back outside are you?" Jo didn't answer her so the girl sprinted towards the door. "But it's raining cats and dogs out there. Why don't you stay here, and shop a little? Looks like you might need to." The girl said warmly. A realization hit Jo. Meg said that she couldn't look at Jo… perhaps the gunslinger did need some different attire.

"What kind of store is this?" Jo questioned, her voice solid. The girl gulped involuntarily, intimidated by the strength before her.

"We sell clothes…" The girl said stupidly, then she shook her head. This fighter was certainly worthy of shopping in the back of the store. Her boss would be most excited to see a new customer. "But in the back… we have more… suitable apparel for people like yourself." Jo's face remained the same. "We sell combat clothes and weapons in the back, but it is illegal so shhh."

"Fine."

"Oh, my name is Mandy. You?" Jo didn't respond, making the girl let out a heavy sigh. "Right this way stranger." Mandy said, leading Jo into the back room. It was dark until the clerk hit the light switch. Instantly the entire room lit up, portraying racks of durable clothing and impressive weapons. "You aren't for many words are you?"

"You have any chaps here?" Jo inquired, ignoring the clerk's question.

"Yes. Not many people by them. How about I set you up with some stuff and you try it on?" Mandy suggested, already making her way to a rack of clothes. After fifteen minutes of Mandy rambling and Jo silently ignoring her, the girl came over with a stack of clothes. "Here you go. I think they'll fit your style." Jo nodded and headed to the changing room.

After first undressing, Jo looked through the pile of clothes. There was a loose pair of dark blue jeans, which provided a considerably greater amount of protection than just her shorts and chaps. Pulling the jeans on and buttoning them, Jo could already feel the difference. Her legs were warmer now… it was odd. Next she found black chaps and buckled them into place. After tying the chaps, she let out a grumble of approval at the two holsters on each side. Next she had to pull on a black tank top, which clung to her abs showing off her flat stomach. Finally she slipped on new black boots and pulled her jeans over them. All in all, she approved of the outfit. To finish off, she slid her Desert Eagles into the holsters, finding that they fit perfectly.

"I take it that you accept?" Mandy inquired as the gunslinger stepped out of the fitting room. "Here, I figured that you really do need something to keep you warm." Mandy handed Jo a black and white coat that looked a lot like her old one. "You want to check out the weapons while I ring these up?" Jo nodded as she shrugged the coat on.

Ambling over to a display of several different types of gun holsters, Jo found a rather interesting pair shoulder holsters. It had two holsters (one on each side) that would be concealed if she was wearing her coat. Plus that would add double the firepower. To top it all off, it came with two belts that held ammunition. Mandy came over after configuring the costs.

"I'll take these." Jo told her simply, taking off the coat and strapping the shoulder holsters on. They were comfortable and wouldn't hinder her movements. The belts hung limply around her waist; each one was a little too big. The ammunition magazines weighed down the belts, making them look strained, but in reality they were very strong and wouldn't snap if they held ten times the recommended amount.

"Nice choice. I'm guessing that you aren't going to change back, are you?" The clerk stated, telling Jo the total. Jo paid her and began to walk out. "Hey wait a sec. If my boss asks me who his new customer is, what should I tell him?"

"I'm a paying customer." Jo said emotionlessly, reaching the door that led to the frigid downpour. Without a glance back, Jo started to head home. She felt considerably warmer and the cold didn't bite as much. Without following a real path, Jo moseyed along the empty streets, not entirely sure if she should go back or not. Meg had made it clear that she wasn't really welcomed, but glancing up at the sky Jo could see that the sun had set hours ago. The dampness had made a stiffness set in to her injuries, and drowsiness forced her to decide to just head back to the trailer. Another half an hour and she opened the door to the large beast of a trailer.

"See Meg? I told you Jo would be home any second." Came Amy's happy voice. Seeing all eyes on her, Jo took off her coat, wiped her boots on the rug, and sat on the couch. Sei, Meg, Kyohei, and Amy were sitting at the table, each with plates heaped up with food. They all stared in shock at Jo's appearance.

"What happened?" Kyohei uttered, still stunned along with the others.

"I went out." Jo said obviously, relieved to finally be able to relax her body. Meg stood up… so maybe she wouldn't be able to relax.

"You went out? I was worried sick. What did you think you were doing? And what for? Shopping? You don't even like shopping Jo." Meg unleashed all her pent up energy since she learned that Jo had left. She had practically been pacing the trailer for hours.

"You told me to get out." Jo explained logically. "And you said that you couldn't even look at me. Well I've changed, so now is it okay?" Jo asked, uncertainty screwing with her voice. Meg just shook her head at the logic Jo found in her actions.

"Jo, I'm sorry okay? I was just mad but that didn't mean that I wanted you to go out by yourself. You're hurt." Meg reminded the gunslinger, grabbing Jo's hand and pulling her towards the table. "You've got to be hungry."

"Oh yes, and I got that hot sauce!" Kyohei said proudly, handing Jo a bottle of Satan's Mercy.

"I think that Jo looks awesome!" Amy said, making Sei laugh a little.

"Well you're alive Jo and it looks like you didn't even cause any problems this time." The leader teased, but it was misunderstood by the fighter.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." This made Sei raise an eyebrow, but she opted that it was better left not knowing. Jo took a bite of her food with Satan's Mercy poured all over it. Kyohei waited for a second, hoping for a reaction.

"So?" The boy questioned, leaning in a little bit unconsciously.

"It's alright." She said, adding the other hot sauce as well.

"Eww Jo! That's gross." Amy squealed. Meg just laughed and wrapped her arms around one of Jo's, snuggling into the gunslinger.

"You are such a dork Jo." Meg giggled, giving Jo a gentle squeeze. The cowgirl even caught a ghost of a smirk on Jo's face.

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**So next chapter is going to be a little bit more Jo x Meg. This was just a warm up ;)**

**-JZ**


	3. Seed of Doubt

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter. I think it is rather diverse and I have most of the next chapter already written. Leave some REVIEWS! or PMs! I except anonymous reviews also. ENJOY!**

**I don't own Burst Angel (but ohhhh do I wish I did...)**

**-JZ**

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"Jo? Where do you think you're going?" Sei questioned, tapping her foot as she waited for an answer.

"Out." The gunslinger's normally emotionless voice held a tinge of annoyance. She put her other pistol in its holster and growled as she heard a door open.

"Jo, why don't you just sit inside and wait until you're all healed?" Sei suggested, taking a seat on the couch and patting the space next to her. "I promise I won't bite." She winked at the gunslinger and was greeted with a blank stare.

"I'm fine. There is no point in staying inside any longer." Jo grumbled, getting antsy as she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. As the footsteps approached, Jo gave Sei a glare, threatening her not to say anything. Then the gunslinger stiffly walked to the door and opened it.

"Jo, it has only been two days. You aren't healed enough." Sei said loudly enough that she could be heard throughout the trailer. The footsteps quickened and just before Jo could slip out a pair of slender arms yanked the door closed. "Sorry Jo, but you wouldn't have gotten far anyways."

"Jo, I already told you not to go out until you are all better. Why do you have to keep trying to sneak out?" Meg huffed, pulling Jo towards the couch. The gunslinger was reluctant but yielded to the insistent tugging. Soon enough the cowgirl sat down and pulled Jo between her and Sei.

"Sei, I could easily shoot you right now." Jo growled, uncomfortable by the close contact on each side.

"You could, but you won't. Why would you save me if you were just going to shoot me?" Sei countered, about to pat Jo's knee.

"Do that and I can personally assure you that you will lose that hand." She warned, her shoulders rigid and back straight. "And I'm starting to think that that was just a lapse of sanity."

"Jo, be nice. Sei is just trying to help me make sure you stay out of trouble just long enough to get better." Meg chided, snuggling into Jo and was about to hand the agitated gunslinger the remote until she remembered something. "Hey Jo, what happened in RAPT Headquarters anyways?"

"Yeah?" Amy asked, plopping herself on Sei's lap. The older girl let out a slight wince at the sudden weight. "Suck it up Sei. Jo is already back to normal so you should quit milking the attention."

"Yeah well it isn't my fault that Jo is abnormally adapted to pain." Sei murmured under her breath. Jo was feeling claustrophobic, way too many people being way too close.

"Okay, now you've got all the attention Jo. What happened in there?" Meg asked curiously, a small amount of anger in her voice.

"I drove Jango in, Sei was shot, she told me to shoot the thing, I shot it, everything went bang." Jo monotoned, shifting as far away from Sei as the suddenly crowded couch would allow. Meg smiled at the fact that Jo would rather be pressed into her than have contact with anyone else… but then she remembered the point to this conversation.

"Aren't you forgetting the part where you saved my life?" Sei reminded. Jo stood up, leaving a disheveled Meg on the couch and a surprised Sei and Amy, they were all looking for an explanation though.

"I owed you. That's all." Jo said stoically, fists clenched and refusing to look at them.

"You know Jo, it's okay that you want to protect other people too." Meg soothed, straightening herself up. "Next time, don't almost get yourself killed though; I'm still pretty mad about that."

"I'm programmed to kill. To enjoy the sensation of warm blood." Jo said calmly and certainly. She turned around, facing the group of girls with a mystified gaze. "Yet, you say that I saved you? Why would I do that? Where is the logic in that?" Sei gave Jo a sympathetic glance, a small helpless smile tugged at her lips.

"Don't think too hard about it Jo, you'll give yourself a headache. I think you and Meg should go lay down for a bit? Perhaps you girls should watch that little TV in your room?" Sei suggested, waving Jo off towards the direction of the rooms. Meg stood up and tugged Jo towards their bedroom. "Now you two behave, I don't want Amy putting any inappropriate videos on the internet." Amy laughed and Meg blushed as she pulled an unaffected Jo down the hall.

"What does she mean?" Jo asked, confused as to what they could do while watching a movie that would be considered misbehaving. "Amy doesn't have any cameras in our room anyways. She knows what happened the last time she tried." Meg have her a horrified expression, unaware that Amy had ever actually attempted to spy on them.

"What do you mean? I never knew Amy put cameras in our room?" Meg huffed, only slightly irritated by the computer geek; however, she was frustrated that she didn't know anything about the excursion.

"Yeah, that's why I had to patch up the walls a few months ago." Jo deadpanned, as she opened the door for Meg. The cowgirl smiled and jumped on their bed.

"And I always thought that you were just remodeling." Meg giggled as she snuggled into Jo's pillow. Rolling her eyes, Jo closed the door and went to her movie rack. It was filled with everything from the classic Dracula to the more current (and cheesier) films like Horror On Helen Street. Glancing back at Meg blankly, she waited. "Jo, just pick whichever one you want… Maybe it won't be too scary?" Meg prompted, earning nothing but a small huff. Jo put the movie in and started towards the bed. "Jo take off your coat." Meg whined, not wanting the rough outdoor coat to be in the way. Jo slipped it off and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Are you going to give me my pillow back?" She asked, even though it was meant more as a rhetorical question.

"Sure, why hug a pillow when I can hug the real thing, huh?" Meg blushed at her statement, but Jo only shrugged. Meg was finding it increasingly frustrating that she could practically shout out that she has a crush on Jo, and the other girl would probably not even flinch. Jo positioned the pillow behind her and was leaning against the wall. As the first scene started to roll, a man had his head lopped off by some unknown beast. While Jo found it entertaining at the stupidity of the man to just walk into a dark basement that he suspected held some sort of sick animal, Meg found it horrifying. She immediately screeched and clutched Jo's bare arm, getting distracted by the toned muscle.

After half an hour, the beast was slaughtering a town and just so happened to be chasing the main character and his new found love interest. Jo was entranced by the terrible effects and writing that made the movie cheesier than mozzarella sticks. Looking down however, it was obvious that Meg wasn't entirely as amused. The cowgirl had her face buried into Jo's shoulder and one hand was clenching Jo's shirt for dear life. After another scream, Meg let out a small whimper and dug deeper into Jo's shoulder. Awkwardly, Jo wrapped her arm around Meg and gave her a protective pat.

"It's just corn syrup and cheap food dye." Jo told her, hoping Meg would loosen up the grip on her shirt a little. Jo soaked up the smell of Meg's strawberry shampoo and enjoyed to softness of her skin.

"I know Jo… That stuff just freaks me out." Meg muttered, her lips grazing Jo's arm.

"Why? You know I'll kill anything that is stupid enough to even think about taking you away from me." Jo told her, the only thing within her voice was honesty. Meg smiled and nuzzled herself into Jo's body, enjoying the warmth.

"I know Jo. You protect me from everything. Can you just hold me like this though? At least until the movie is over?" Meg asked, looking up at Jo for the first time. The need inside those blue eyes made the gunslinger powerless to refuse. Jo gave a small nod and returned her gaze to the flashing screen. Meg smiled until she heard another bloody scream and a chainsaw in the background.

"I don't get why you're here?" Jo asked, slightly amused. Meg felt a stab of hurt, and shot a glare of disbelief towards Jo. "You obviously hate these movies. So why are you here?" Jo inquired again. This explanation, however, eased the fear that prickled within Meg. It was just like Jo to be entirely unaware at the double meaning within that statement.

"Because I know you like these movies Jo and I like spending time with you." Meg told her truthfully. The gunslinger seemed to mull over this answer, digesting it like a well cooked meal. After a moment, she shrugged her shoulders and returned to the movie. It was nearing the end, not soon enough for Meg's liking, but it only had about fifteen minutes left. Just as it reached the part where everyone was going to die, Meg shrieked and her arm clutched around Jo's stomach. Immediately she felt the girl stiffen and exhale sharply, a stifled whimper whispering through her teeth. "I'm so sorry!" Meg jumped off of Jo, tears filling her eyes.

"Meg, it's fine." Jo assured, but it didn't ease the other girl as warm blood started to trickle down the sides of her abdomen.

"No Jo, you aren't fine. I'm going to go grab some bandages from the bathroom. Don't move." Meg commanded, giving Jo the rare 'Don't try anything' death glare. The warrior lifted her hands in surrender until an unwarranted hiss escaped from the pain in her ribs. Meg darted to the bathroom and was back in three minutes, after several loud bangs and confusing curses.

"This is really unnecessary." Jo continued. Meg ignored the gunslinger and lifted the tank top enough to expose the bandages wrapped snuggly around Jo's torso. The white bandages were now stained red, and steadily becoming even more drenched.

"Sit up Jo." Meg demanded, making the reluctant girl sigh and swing her legs over the side of the bed.

"Damn it Meg, I said that I'm fine…" Jo growled and stood up, making her way to the door without waiting for the string of protests that would surly follow. She was a couple steps from the exit when one of her knees buckled, forcing her to kneel onto the ground. The gunslinger felt her heart rate leap and her vision started to blur and darken. "W-wha… da'hell…?" She muttered, her mind quickly shutting down.

"Jo? Jo! Can you hear me? Jo!" Meg was beside her, one hand on her shoulder as the other felt her forehead. "Can you hear me?" Her voice was only muffled and didn't really register to the gunslinger. It was more of a sound that someone talking.

"What's going on in there?" Amy laughed from the other side, until she opened the door. "Sei told you two to beha—What's wrong with Jo?" The smirk on her face shifted into a scared expression.

"Go get Sei, now." Meg told her firmly, only getting a flabbergasted nod before the child ran out. "Jo if you can hear me, please say something."

"It burns…" Jo rasped, one hand pulling at her hair as the fiery sensation increased.

"You've got a fever. Just calm down, okay?" Meg tried to sooth the girl and get her to release the death grip on her hair.

_Not my head…_ Jo attempted to say, but it just remained in her mind as the burning exploded. _Those marks… Fuck, they burn. They're like acid leaking down my back and arms… _She snarled, falling to both knees now and trying to rip herself from Meg's grasp. "Leave… me… alone…" She wheezed, out of breath and in a new dimension of agony.

"What's going on?" Sei asked, panting as she sat on the other side of Jo.

"I don't know. I accidently made her wounds bleed, then she said she was fine and was about to leave. Next thing I know, she almost falls down." Meg explains rapidly, never taking her eyes from Jo. "She is burning up really bad."

"Alright Jo, we need to get you to the bed." Sei said calmly, laying a cool hand on the girl's shoulder. Instantaneously a Desert Eagle was swung right at her head. Sei fell backwards to dodge the well place weapon which was now aimed between her eyes.

"I'm fine." Jo snarled, sending a chilling glower in Sei's direction. The things in her eyes… they scared Sei… they were the eyes Jo gets when she is completely consumed by a fight. The eyes that Sei was normally proud of because they worked for her and those eyes always meant that a target was being taken care of. But now… they were staring into her soul, deciding which parts to shred first.

"JO KNOCK IT OFF!" Meg howled, outraged. She stepped right in front of the gun and glared the gunslinger down. To Sei's amazement, Jo's eyes shifted from bloody crimson to a regretful scarlet. Quickly she holstered her pistol and avoided the redhead's eye contact. There was something off about the gunslinger's posture however… it was different.

"I don't want to hurt you." Jo warned her voice was strained and uneven, like the jagged edges of broken glass. "Don't stand in my way."

"I'm not going to let you just shoot Sei for trying to HELP YOU!" Meg shouted, advancing towards Jo with determined steps. "I swear that it's like I hardly know you anymore Jo!"

"Don't cry…" Jo muttered painfully, yet still emotionless.

"Do I look like I'm about to cry? No, I'm pissed off!" Meg ranted, flailing her arms around wildly.

"I wouldn't shoot Sei. I was just trying to get her to back off a little." Jo explained blankly, glancing down at the fallen leader.

"Who are you talking to—" Meg stopped when she saw the tear streaked face of a little girl. Amy looked her age, looked just like the scared little innocent girl that Meg sometimes forgot she actually was. "Amy…"

"Jo…? Why can't you just let us help you?" Amy asked innocently, using one sleeve to rub the tears from her eyes. Jo took a few steps towards the little schoolgirl and placed an awkward hand on her shoulder.

"I don't deserve help. And the sooner you all understand that, the better off you will be." Jo said solemnly. A sudden wave of fire and pain swept over her and a ringing blew through her ears. Baring her teeth, Jo grabbed a handful of white locks and let out a fierce growl. Instead of fighting the tormenting sensations coursing throughout her body, she allowed herself to succumb to the darkness. The darkness that housed her heart, her soul (if she had one), her very existence… All the feelings of the waking world began to ebb away, until she felt nothing… nothing at all.

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**Hope you like it? Seems like Jo is having a little trouble with the emotional homefront since Meg hasn't let her battle on the physical fighting line. Next chapter is going to be pretty confusing for Jo... might not end very well ;) or maybe... **

**Nope, you need to wait to learn about it :P**

**-JZ**


	4. Dreaming of You

**Alright, this is going to be a little darker. I hope you'll still like it. I'm going to try to discribe what i think Jo is feeling an go into this chapter with that thought. Okay Jo is unable to understand human emotions but she knows that what she has done in her past go way beyond the evils that anyone knows about. She has to except the fact that she could be the groups greatest danger, and as the protector of the group... she might also have to get rid of the threat herself. Okay, now with that mindset, enjoy. I hope you all will leave me a REVIEW!**

**I don't own Burst Angel**

**-JZ**

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"_P-p-please… you can't kill me!" The young man pleaded, tears streaking down his face as he begged for his life. It wouldn't do him any good, it never did any of them any good… But his statement was perplexing. He was slightly overweight, average height, baby faced, and was dressed in a dingy orange jumper. There was nothing special about him at all… He was simply sickeningly ordinary. She could kill him, and she would, but what did this man think that he possessed that made him better than anyone else. His greasy tears fell by his knees, as he was literally begging for his life. His jump suit pants were soaked in a thick wet mixture where he knelt, and the ugly mixture was even sprayed on his torso making a pok-a-dot pattern. _

"_Why?" Her question was firm and unyielding as she continued to hold the black pistol level with his sweating brow. At the sound of her voice a flash of hope sparked within his eyes. He sputtered as he tried to come up with the response that he prayed would save his life._

"_Because I have a wife, Estelle, and a baby girl named Kate. I don't even belong here. I just want to see them again. They need me." He explained as his sobbing subsided. He waited in silence as she processed his statement, and fidgeted from side to side on his battered knees._

"_That is stupid." _

_**BANG**_

_The man slumped to the ground. He didn't move, but of course, Jo knew he wouldn't. Giving him one last glance before wiping off the blood coated muzzle on her sleeve, she stepped over his body. The warm liquid that glittered on her stoic face like war paint accented her crimson eyes. The thick goo slowly oozed down her forehead, cheeks, and chin, adding to the steadily growing puddle on the floor. She felt her shoulders relax, deeply inhaling the metallic aroma like a drug. This was her element, in retrospect, this was her drug. Blood… Pain… Fear… This is what she lived for. Taking an accomplished glance at the many bodies that littered the floor, she froze when her eyes reached a familiar pool of blue. Lifeless blue… _

_Jo realized that her memory was quickly turning into something more… perhaps a prophecy._

"_Jo? Why?" The redhead's voice echoed loudly. "Jo, what are you- Jo? JO!" The voice screamed as a gunshot rang out. The gunslinger's head pounded, the skit replaying in her head like a broken sound track, a personal mixed tape. The screaming was getting louder, there was crying, the scene replayed again and again._

"_Errah…" Jo gasped, panting. She grabbed her ears, trying to muffle the sound… but it wouldn't go away. She fell to her knees, the impact making an unheard splash as the blood around her seemed to fill the room. As it reached just below her chin, the rusty taste of blood misting into her mouth and nose, she couldn't take it anymore. With the gun still in her hand, she turned to her temple… suddenly the voice stopped._

"_Jo…" It was softer this time, making her concentrate in order to hear the whisper at all. "Jo, can you just tell me what I did wrong? Why did you have to kill me?" _

"_I-I-I couldn't… do that to you Meg. I fight for you." Jo responded numbly… The gun still pressed firmly to her temple, no sign of regret as the muzzle dug into her hair._

"_You kill me everyday Jo. Every day that I'm with you, I'm just that much closer to death. You only fight for yourself Jo, for your own sick needs. It's what you were bred for, trained for, and programmed to do. You only fight for that monster that is inside you." Meg said coldly, yet it wasn't harsh or judgmental. _

"_Not true…" Jo argued weakly._

"_Jo, you can protect me from anything… everything out there that could even dream of harming me. Everything except yourself. You refuse to protect me from the one thing that is the greatest threat."_

"_No…" Jo swallowed the disturbing statement. _

"_Then protect me Jo… protect me."_

_**BANG**_

Jo shot up, gasping as a pain ripped through her chest. Her entire body shook as the memory/dream replayed in her head. Pushing the pain aside, she agonizingly glanced to her side. There, right next to her, was a beautiful woman… hair in disarray, arms gripping a pillow for dear life, legs twisted in the covers… Jo was… scared. Scared that the dream may have been real and in her sleep she had… done that to Meg. She could have, it wasn't like she hadn't woken up with a gun in her hand and no memory of how she got there. Already out of the bed, she nudged Meg… hard.

"Jooooo… Go back to bed…" The sleepy redhead murmured. Jo didn't realize what she was doing until it was too late.

"I'm sorry Meg; I wish I could be better." She said solemnly, pulling the comforter snuggly around the sleeping girl. Pulling her clothes on, she put the extra pair of Desert Eagles in her knew holsters. Before she opened the door, she took on final long painful glance of the slumbering girl. "You were right. I had refused to believe that you were in danger… but now, I think I understand. Please forgive me… I lived for you…" The gunslinger's voice turned to just above a whisper. "And I'll die for you." The door closed behind her as she left down the hall.

"That was weird. Why is Jo so chatty today?" Meg mumbled sleepily, having heard Jo but not really processing it yet. She succumbed to unconsciousness yet again.

"Hey Jo, are you feeling any better?" Sei asked cautiously as her and Amy watched Kyohei cook in the kitchen. The gunslinger was nearly emotionless, as usual, except you could see a sorrow resonating from her crimson eyes. It was highly uncommon that Jo would show any response to any sort of argument, even in her eyes.

"Of course, I was well taken care of." Jo said solidly. Sei raised an eyebrow at the odd statement.

"You look sick Jo. Why don't you go back to bed?" Amy suggested lively.

"I can't." Jo told them honestly, picking up the Desert Eagles from the cabinet and placing them in the holsters on her chaps.

"Did you get in a fight with Meg again?" Amy sighed dramatically.

"No." Jo stated and was about to leave when Kyohei stepped out of the kitchen.

"Alright, I made a LOT so everyone needs to eat up." The young chef said energetically, completely missing the unspoken tension in the room.

"I'm not hungry—"

"Jo, when was the last time you ate? How do you expect to heal if you don't eat properly? I hired a personal chef for a reason." Sei interrupted the gunslinger, knowing that something was up… That look in Jo's eyes was making her uncomfortable with leaving the battle worn girl alone. "If you don't sit down, I'll go wake Meg up." Jo clenched her jaw and stared their elected leader down with a hard glare, but quickly the flash of sudden resentment switched over to the familiar blank expression.

"Hn." Jo muttered, sitting down as Kyohei served up the food, handing her the bottle of hot sauce with her dish. After a few bites, Jo gave a nod of approval, making Kyohei beam with happiness. Jo hardly ever complimented him on his cooking… or anything for that matter. Sei and Amy both shared worried looks, knowing that something must be seriously wrong.

"You sure you're feeling better? I don't know why you passed out, or what was going on that made you get such a bad fever." Sei reminded the gunslinger, hoping that perhaps she could shed some light on the situation. Although, Jo simply finished eating and gave Sei an odd expression.

"I'd like to talk to you about something." Jo stated, and walked towards Sei's room. Amy gave her an astonished face, but Sei could only shrug and follow after the battle worn fighter. Entering the room, she noticed that Jo stood uncomfortably by the desk.

"Yes Jo? What is wrong?" Sei tried to convey her concern, but knew it was futile. Jo didn't necessarily understand the difference of emotional tones.

"You should be angry. I almost killed you last night." Jo told her, waiting for an answer. Sei smiled softly, knowing that this was way too far from Jo's realm.

"You told Amy that you wouldn't actually do it. And I believe that. I don't think that you could hurt any of us." Sei said thoughtfully, earning a look of pain from Jo. "Did your wounds reopen again?"

"No… I also told Amy that I didn't deserve your help." Jo reminded her harshly, the pain still evident within her. "You are all so stupid. Don't you get it?" Anger replaced the pain and Sei was concerned that Jo might get out of hand again.

"Let's just stay calm Jo. Okay?" Sei suggested, raising her hands to show that she wasn't trying to threaten the gunslinger. This proved to throw the fighter into further turmoil.

"I'm not human. I've done things that you two don't know about… Things that I shouldn't be forgiven for, things that make me a monster. And every second that I'm here, you all are in more danger. You're supposed to be the leader. You're supposed to keep them safe! Protect them Sei! That is all you need to do! Protect them, damn it!" Jo shouted, gripping the leader by the shirt and lifting her a few inches off the floor. However, the mother figure didn't budge. She was only preoccupied by the look of agony as Jo was practically pleading for her to dispose of her.

"I do protect them. I protect them by making sure that you are around. And you protect all of us Jo." Sei stated calmly, still in the air. Jo shook her head in disgust, letting Sei drop to her feet. The rage boiled within the gunslinger, but it was no longer directed towards Sei. Jo's jaw clenched and she let out a sigh of defeat.

"Amy… you… Meg… I need to protect all of you." She didn't question it; her voice was firm and definitive. The anger sweltered beneath the heat of her sudden realization. "It is about time I do my job then." Jo stated emotionlessly, walking out of the room. She stalled in the doorway, chancing a glance at the confused leader. "Thank you… Take care of them…" And with that she closed the door behind her, locking it and then breaking the lock in the door. She couldn't risk Sei breaking from her shocked state soon enough to stop her from leaving. With a brisk pace, Jo ignored the burning in her stomach and the odd pain in her chest. It didn't matter anymore.

"Jo? Is everything okay? Where is Sei?" Amy asked fearfully, worried about the shouts she had heard earlier. Jo knelt down to Amy's level and stared the girl straight in the eyes.

"Don't let Meg boss you around too much. Sei is fine. She just made me realize that I've got another mission." Amy gave her a perplexed expression, this being the first time she had heard of another mission since before RAPT.

"Really? What kind? Sei didn't tell me about any mission." The young girl couldn't pry her gaze from Jo's powerful crimson eyes.

"A protection detail. I'm just going to have to get rid of a threat for some people." Jo told the girl, standing back up and going to the cabinet that held her guns. But this time, she had already grabbed her guns earlier, instead pulled out a cloth. It was singed and the ends were torn up, but it could still be used. Amy's eyes widened in dismay, not having known that Jo kept the battle worn cloth.

"But you hate protection detail…" Amy muttered, as she watched Jo place the scarf around her childish neck. It was way too big for her, even with the ends torn, but it felt right. It was the presence of Jo, the scent of gunpowder still clinging to it. This was the first present she had ever received from Jo.

"JO! AMY! LET ME OUT!" The muffled responses came from Sei's room, and Amy gave Jo a curious face.

"I'm sorry, but this is my last job." Jo told the younger girl, before vanishing out the door. Amy stood completely still, digesting what she had just heard. Jo was remorseful, sad, in pain… yet there was no regret in what she had to do… it seemed like she was guiltier about not doing it sooner.

"AMY? JO?" Sei was pounding frantically now, attempting to get the door to budge.

"What the hell is going on?" Meg grumbled as she sleepily walked out of her room. "Why is Sei locked in her room?" Meg pointedly looked at Amy, when her eyes reached the familiar scarf, she practically changed into a different person. "Where is Jo?"

"I-I don't know… She just said that she was sorry… and… and walked out." Amy stated, trying to snap herself from the comatose feeling that had consumed her. "I think she locked Sei in her room. They were arguing… but…"

"Shhh, it's okay Amy. Just try to get a read on where Jo is and I'll get Sei out." Meg soothed the scared girl, and started to work on opening Sei's door. After about ten minutes, the door was lying on the floor and the hinges were busted off.

"Meg, I think Jo is about to do something really stupid." Sei told her immediately, both of them going to see if Amy has had any luck yet.

"I know… Damn it. I just wasn't listening. This morning she got up and I knew something was bothering her. Then she started saying she was sorry and asking for me to forgive her… I can't believe I was still half asleep!" Meg berated herself, angry at her own neglecting.

"She was mad that I wasn't protecting you guys." Sei sighed, her nerves fried beyond recognition.

"What was she talking about? We are always okay. Jo keeps us safe in the battlefield, you do at the homefront." Meg told her, baffled as to what Jo was mad about.

"She was mad that I wasn't protecting you guy from her. Then I told her that she protects all of us…" Sei muttered, terrified at what Jo was about to do.

"She told me you sent her on a protection detail for some people that needed a threat taken out." Amy said as soon as they came into view. "I haven't found her yet."

"Keep looking." Meg said, even though it wasn't needed. The tech girl was way ahead of her. "I can't believe that I fell asleep even after hearing what she said."

"What was it?" Sei wondered what Jo could have said that made it so obvious to Meg the moment the gunslinger had run off.

"She said that she lived for me." Meg choked up, earning a worried glance from Amy. "And that she'll die for me." There was no more room for doubt. That statement was what made the evidence irrefutable.

"We'll find her. Don't worry. Jo's just a bit lost." Sei assured both of the tear filled pairs of eyes.

"I've got a lock…. What now?" Amy asked, a sorrowful face flickering between Meg and Sei.

"It's my turn to save Jo." Meg told them, already getting ready to leave. "Whether she likes it or not."

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**Will Meg make it in time? Hope you guys liked this chapter and I know it is dark, but it needs to be for the story. Leave me a REVIEW (or PM)and I'll update quicker.**

**-JZ**


	5. Repercussions

**I know it's been a while and that some of you might be pissed. Well life has gotten in the way. No more and no less. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I appreciate the reviews and am proud to say that even though there are not as many people that read Burst Angel fanfics, you all still manage to put in a good number of reviews. Thank you and please Review or PM me. **

**-JZ**

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"_You're being a complete idiot. You can't stay here, they'll find you." The voice informed, as emotionless as Jo herself. _

"Who the hell are you? Why do you keep doing this to me?" Jo growled in frustration and pain, sitting in a deserted apartment in the abandoned zone of Tokyo. It had been an hour since she had left the trailer, but that voice was making it seem like years. "I already know I'm a danger to them, can't you just fuck off?"

"_I'm you Jo, so suck it up. You're pathetic, you realize that right? I mean, none of the other experiments were as weak as to fall for a human. Look at you. If you didn't care for them, you would be free. The only reason that I would even want you dead is because you have become a weak, domestic house cat and I find it embarrassing to be a part of you." The voice was cold and calculated, pounding in Jo's skull with all its might._

"I can't stay here, they've probably already have a read on my location." Jo spoke aloud, trying to clear her mind of at least one voice, even if it was her own. Climbing out of the pile of rubble that used to be a building, Jo started aimlessly walking the ghostly streets. She enjoyed this place, enjoyed the quiet and death that clung to the air. It was the only place she could blend in with, the only place she could belong. Every once in a while, she would see a group of people huddled around a burning barrel, struggling to find warmth. Everyone in this district had a weapon; except for the poor saps that grew up in the rubbish… they seemed to be part of the scenery.

"Well 'ello there, ya lost?" A slimy man muttered as he slunk up to her. He had a greasy grin and was far too tall and lanky to be any real threat; however, the rifle in his hands seemed to disagree. "I could show ya 'round, ya know… keep ya safe 'n all."

"If you don't back off, I'll kill you before you get another word out." His grin grew brighter at her words, excitement making him grip his rifle tighter.

"Woowee, I got me a feisty one, aye?" He hollered, hooting in the dead air. Taking a step closer he jumped when he heard a shot go off. "Fuck… wha' was dat?"

"Last warning." Jo sneered, holding her pistol level with his chest and showing no sign of allowing another caveat. He gaped for a second before slowly raising his hands in surrender.

"_He has long legs… and he is as thin as a rat. So how fast do you think he can run?" The voice snickered wickedly, getting riled up by this pleasant opportunity. _

"'Kay, guess ya win." He muttered grudgingly. Jo's smirk grew into a full blown grin. A rush of adrenaline kick started her senses. She didn't feel like letting him go now… not when there is so much fun to be had.

"How fast do you think you can run?" She asked him amusedly, earning a look of terror. "You've got until five."

"One… Two…" He bolted, his speed actually making Jo think about just shooting him now. But that wouldn't be fun. Cheating always took the sweetness out of these games. "Three…" She called out, hearing him yip. "Four…"

"Five—" Just as Jo was about to pull the trigger, someone stepped in front of her.

"_Damn it, and we had a good shot."_

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jo growled venomously, glaring at the intruder with anger filled eyes. "Well?"

"Sorry, I just didn't peg you as the sort of person to kill dirtbags. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know that he had probably done some stupid things… but was it enough to really kill him for?" Mandy asked, waiting for the gunslinger to lower her weapon.

"What makes you so sure that I need a reason to kill him?" Jo retorted, clenching her jaw and continued her execution aim to Mandy's head. "What makes you think that I would need a reason to kill you?"

"Because my boss told me about you." Mandy stated, confused at the difference in the fighter's behavior. "He told me that you were to one who destroyed RAPT."

"That doesn't make me a good guy. It just proves that I've murdered many. One more would hardly be anything to worry about." Jo tightened her finger around the trigger, shooting the ground right beside Mandy's feet. But the stupid girl didn't budge.

"I'm glad that I got a chance to see you again." The naïve clerk stepped closer to the gunslinger, throwing away any regard for her own safety. "I wanted to thank you. RAPT killed my father. He was an honest man, but he had his business too close to their headquarters and they wanted to make a larger parking area. My boss is also my uncle, so he took me in. I always wanted revenge for what they did." Mandy hugged Jo and gave her a quick peck on the check. "Thank you. You're my hero."

"_Hero? You are her hero?" The voice laughed loudly, forcing Jo to clutch her head in order to stop the spinning. "This girl is completely stupid, almost as bad as Meg!"_

"Are you okay?" Mandy asked, concerned that her savior would pass out.

"Shut up…" Jo muttered, talking to the voice.

"I'm sorry?" Mandy inquired, hurt.

"I'm not a hero, okay? I kill people. I enjoy it; it's what I do for a living." Jo pushed the girl away as she tried to help. "Find a better hero." Jo told her, knocking her out but catching Mandy before she hit the ground. "I'm sorry, but I only know how to hurt people."

"_Quit apologizing to people. It is disgracing." The snide tone huffed. "Now Jo, how 'bout we go and find our pathetic rat that got away? I think you should have shut that girl up ten minutes ago."_

"That's enough!" Jo shouted, placing Mandy on the ground gently before taking off in the opposite direction of the dirtbag, not wanting to get too tempted. She ran faster, hearing the voice continue to chortle darkly. She was breathing hard when she finally slowed to a walk half an hour later. Cold sweat trickled down her neck and forehead.

"_You used to be the best, you remember that right? You were one of the first made. You were given such a high concentration of that biochemical that they thought you would surely die, but you didn't. No, you and I continued to fight. That is all we can do. Fight and win, fight and win…" It was serious now, conjuring up several different memories. "I'm the one that told you to kill him." _A forgotten memory started to consume Jo's vision, throwing her into the past.

"_**Now Jo, do you remember the tests that we ran?" An older man's voice came harshly, fascinated at the weapon in front of him. The girl nodded, eliciting a wild grin and sick laugh from the man in the white lab coat. "Good, Jo. Then go have fun. Remember, you can't leave until every single one is dead." Jo nodded again, entering the small room containing four different people. One was a man in his early twenties, the other was a female approximately fifty, then another man but much older, and finally a little girl that clung to the old man's hand. **_

"_**Gwandpa… Who is she? Cwan I gwo an' pway?" The little girl asked, tugging on the old man's boney hand. **_

"_**No Stacy, stay behind me." He stood protectively in front of his granddaughter, staring daggers at Jo. The fighter just stood still, not entirely sure how to proceed. Up to this point she had only been instructed and drugged, but now she was free. She could do anything as long as these weak individuals would be dead by the time she was done. "What do you want?" He asked Jo, trying to shield the little girl completely. **_

"_**What are you doing?" Jo didn't really care, but it was something she didn't know about. She had never seen another human stand in front of danger in order to stop harm from coming to someone else.**_

"_**I'm protecting my granddaughter, you monster." He hissed, steeling his body for what was about to come.**_

"_**Protecting?" Jo was confused by this new word. It was so foreign, and seemed to be such a nuisance. **_

"_**Why are we here?" The younger guy asked, trying to hide his fear.**_

"_**I'm going to kill you." Jo said obviously, quoting a voice that seemed to be talking to her. "And I'm going to enjoy it."—Kill him. The one that is protecting that child. Kill him now.—It told her. And she nodded in response. "I'm going to kill you first." **_

"_**No, please don't make my granddaughter watch." He pleaded, still holding his ground though. **_

"_**She's going to die too." Jo informed them all, before releasing her first sadistic smile as blood covered her from head to toe. It felt good, calming, soothing… **_

"_**Very good Jo, now the fun is over." The doctor told her, sending some men in to drag her back to her room. However, she enjoyed the sensations so much she decided to continue her little tirade.—That was so much fun. Finally, something that we don't get drugged for. I don't ever want to forget this sensation.—It sighed happily as the last of fifteen guards fell to the floor in their own blood. Jo nodded, agreeing with that voice that always knew what was best. The voice that was part of her, that was her inner conscious and it happened not to be controlled by morals but logic. "Jo, you've proved your point. Now let's leave." The doctor scowled, but decided not to call anymore guards. Inside he was secretly happy by this turn of events. Jo was finally becoming the weapon he had always dreamed of.**_

"Fuck…" Jo opened her eyes, the world still spiraling. She was leaning against a wall, her hands pulling at her short hair. Cold sweat soaked through her tank top and some blood dripped from her nose and ears. "The first time I'd killed…" She shook her head, trying desperately to dispel the images of the little blonde girl, and the high pitch scream. She felt a twinge of… she wasn't sure. It made her sick, angry, but most importantly, it made her tremble slightly. "I truly am a monster."

"_No, we just belong to a world that isn't bound to the ideals of good and bad. That was the first time you learned what protecting was. I knew the moment that that old man mentioned it, that it would cause us trouble. Now look, we've spent years "protecting" people. I told you before. The only way to protect them is to die. So times up, what's the verdict?" The voice cackled, its cruel tone making Jo sick. "Are you going to die a pathetic weakling, or live strong with freedom?"_

"I will protect them. That is my only freedom." Jo said calmly, making the voice hiss in anger, but the voice didn't protest. "Meg can finally have peace, and learn how to get stronger. She could never do that as long as I'm around. One day, she'll be happy. Truly happy." Jo closed her eyes and lifted her trusty Desert Eagle to her temple, the dry metal contrasting her cold moist skull. Her shoulders dropped a little as she pulled the trigger.

"JO!" Meg screamed as she yanked the pistol away. "YOU IDIOT! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE SO STUPID!" She shouted between tears.

"Damn it." Jo growled, feeling an explosion of pain radiate from her leg. She felt Meg shake her in frustration, and the redhead threw the gun to the ground.

"Shut up, you deserve to be shot in the leg. Maybe you will stop running away from me." Meg hissed furiously, and pulled the gunslinger to the ground. "Sit." She ordered, yanking hard enough to get Jo off balance. With an ungraceful thump, Jo was laying on the dirty pavement.

"Why are you here?" Jo questioned blankly, portraying none of the confusion that she truly had. She tried to stay completely emotionless, which infuriated the redhead further as she applied pressure to Jo's wound.

"Because it was my turn to save you." Meg said harshly, staring at Jo with a burning gaze. "Why are you being such an idiot?" Jo looked away, refusing to divulge that information. Frustrated, Meg applied a little too much pressure on Jo's leg and heard the gunslinger bite back a whimper. "I'm sorry Jo; I didn't mean to do that." Meg felt guilty. "Why did you want to leave me?" She was desperate now, trying her best to understand what was going through Jo's mind.

"I don't." Jo said before she could even think. Meg furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Killing yourself doesn't mean that everything is fine and dandy. It means there is something wrong. And, damn it Jo, I want to know what it is." Meg said firmly, using her eyes to trap Jo in an imaginative corner.

"I kill people. I've killed a lot of people." Jo stated, but Meg just waited for her to continue. "I would rather die than hurt you." Some tears dropped from Meg's eyes, but the redhead didn't seem to notice. "See? I've hurt you again."

"Jo, you are so socially handicapped that I think you need a special sign for it sometimes." Meg laughed quietly, getting a grumble of agitation from the gunfighter. "We are going to have a long talk when Sei gets here. And we are going to talk about those things that scare you so much." Meg said softly, patting Jo's leg like she was a small child. Jo stared blankly.

Jo sighed and rolled her head as she lazily looked to one side. Her expression said, "I'm not afraid of anything" and Meg was a very good Jo interpreter.

"Sure you are. One is of losing me or any of the team. And two, talking about emotions." Jo stiffened up immediately, her blank expression flashing with fear for a split second before her mask appeared in place again. "And don't think that not talking will make it go away. I can personally assure you that Sei, I, or even Amy sometimes will be by your side 24/7 until we figure out what is going on with you."

"You're being ridiculous." Jo huffed, starting to stand when Meg yanked her back down by her belts. "Meg, let go." Jo growled, feeling cagy.

"No Jo, you're just going to have to learn to live with it. I'm not going to let you keep pushing me away." Meg said firmly, disregarding any of Jo's protests.

"YOU!" Meg whipped her head towards the shout, while Jo let out a frustrated groan. "What the hell did you do that for!"

"Who are you?" Meg asked sharply, suddenly feeling a bit protective over Jo.

"Who am I? I'm the chic that just got knocked out by 'Self-Destructive' over there!" Mandy continued to shout, pointing at Jo accusingly. Meg looked at Jo expectantly, but was met with a surprisingly annoyed glower.

"Jo, why did you knock her out?" Meg sighed and waited for Jo to answer, but the gunslinger clenched her jaw and stood up stubbornly before Meg could stop her. "Jo?" Meg said again, this time with more force.

"Jo? So that's your name?" Mandy asked, much calmer now that her rant was over. "Well Jo, tell her why you knocked me out. I want an explanation as well." Mandy looked between Meg and Jo, tapping her foot in anticipation.

"This is stupid. I'm going back to the trailer." Jo muttered as she started limping towards the giant RV that had parked itself not too far from them. Meg grasped Jo's sleeve, pleading with her eyes for Jo to stay put, and to all their amazement, Jo stopped in mid stride.

"Please Jo…" Meg whispered softly, getting a growl from the other girl.

"I knocked you out because I didn't know if I could control myself any longer. It was either I knock you out, or shoot you. Guess I figured you weren't up for dying today." Jo huffed sarcastically, now even more edgy since she had caved so easily into Meg's demands.

"Apology accepted." Mandy said, surprised at the gunfighter's submission to the redhead. "I'm Mandy by the way." She said to the redhead.

"Oh, I'm Meg." Meg said warmly, shaking the clerk's hand. "I'm sorry about Jo, she had good intentions."

"Well at least I know her name now." Meg gave her a questioning look, to which Mandy sighed and let out a small laugh. "We met a little while ago when she saved me from some guy. He was trying to rob my store and she scared him off. I'm the reason why she is dressed like that." Mandy motioned towards Jo, who had turned back to an emotionless mask.

"So you're the one…" Meg said thoughtfully.

"Yup. Well you guys better get going since someone shot you in the leg." Mandy reminded Meg, noticing the gradual darkening color of the jeans.

"Oh right, thanks." Meg went up to help Jo, but the gunslinger just shrugged her off and started to limp away on her own. "Thank you Mandy, I hope we see you sometime."

"Yeah, perhaps not when Jo is fighting." The clerk said jokingly.

"That will take a while." Meg said under her breath, chasing after Jo. Mandy waved goodbye and walked towards an old dirt bike, before hopping on and taking off. Meg caught up to Jo, grabbing the gunslinger's arm.

"Meg, I'm fine." Jo said blankly, not even glancing at the redhead.

"I told you that I wasn't going to leave you alone. I'm sorry for before, but I won't make that mistake again. I'll make sure that you are actually okay, because I know right now that you aren't." Jo clenched and unclenched her jaw anxiously, not liking the thought of being followed around all the time. As Meg opened the door, Jo was greeted with the sight of Sei sitting on one side of the couch, trying to hide her relief by looking upset, and Amy sitting on the table, going over some computer thing, the scarf still tied around her neck.

"Glad to see that you made it back." Sei stated, not getting up but pinning Jo with a heavy glare.

"Jo shot herself in the leg. Where is the first-aid kit?" Meg asked, about to go to the closet.

"Sei already set it out." Amy piped up, shoving some ramen into her mouth as she was still absorbed in her device.

"Sit down Jo and I'll take care of it." Sei said, picking up the first-aid kit from the floor by her feet and gesturing to the seat beside her. Meg started to help Jo over when Jo tried to shake her off.

"I'm fine, I'll just catch some sleep." However Meg didn't let go, she just looked to Sei to say something.

"Sleep? You don't look like you've been sleeping Jo. So stay out here because we are far from done." Sei instructed, using her big sister voice rather than her leader tone. Reluctantly, Jo sat down and Sei pulled the wounded leg up on her lap. Slowly she rolled the jeans up to reveal a deep hole in the gunslinger's shin. "So start talking." Sei demanded, cleaning the area with a rag.

"There's nothing to talk about—Damn it, Sei." Jo seethed, flinching from the sudden offending stinging in her leg.

"Woops, must have slipped." Sei muttered innocently, continuing to add disinfectant. "So you were saying as to why you left in a suicidal state of mind?" She prompted.

"I didn't say any of that." Jo looked at her confusedly, before Sei pressed a little harder again. "Grr… Sei, stop that." Jo did everything in her power to not reach for her guns. Sei seemed to realize that too and glanced up at Meg, who had been watching helplessly.

"I don't want you to have any guns for a while." Sei informed casually, not even glancing at the gunslinger's expression. Jo was losing her patience… How could she do her job if she didn't have guns?

"That isn't going to happen." Jo said firmly, staring straight ahead at the wall. Sei and Meg shared a glance, both knowing this would be a difficult task.

"Come on Jo, it'll just be for a little while. Anyway, why would you need your guns in here?" Meg asked softly, kneeling in front of Jo. Meg took Jo into a strong embrace, throwing the fighter off balance for a moment. "Try to let me help you, please?" Meg practically pleaded. Unbeknownst to Jo, Meg had snaked the guns from their holsters while Jo was caught off guard.

"Help?" Jo questioned blankly, the foreign word rolling off her tongue with rusty distaste.

"Yes Jo, help. Just stay put while I take care of these." Meg commanded as she carted the Desert Eagles off down the hallway. Sei had finished doing some crappy stitches and putting a bandage on it, remaining silent until Meg had disappeared down the hall.

"That was very stupid Jo." Sei said angrily, looking like she was about to yell. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?" She waited for the gunslinger to answer; however, Jo showed no signs of even listening.

"Hey Jo, do you think I can keep this?" Amy asked quietly, breaking the tension in the room. Jo glanced at the girl before nodding once. A smile broke across Amy's face, happy that the mysterious gunslinger would allow her to keep the scarf. "Thank you, Jo." Amy said quickly, then ran out of the room towards her own bedroom.

"Can't you see that what you were thinking of doing would cause more harm than good?" Sei questioned one last time before giving up on the subject. She was frustrated, and they both knew that the topic would get nowhere if they weren't calm about it… well, at least Sei knew that yelling at Jo wouldn't change anything.

"I'm back." Meg announced, walking back into the living room.

"I'm going to bed. It has been a long day. If you need any help Meg, just shout." Sei said as she wandered down the dark hall.

"I will. Goodnight Sei." Meg responded, and then walked over to Jo. "You ready for sleep time?" She asked childishly, grabbing Jo's wrist and tugging the gunfighter off the couch.

"Sleep time?"

"Yes Jo, it is the time when people sleep." Meg explained, rolling her eyes. Jo limped heavily, causing Meg to shoot her a concerned look.

"I'm fine." Jo stated, relieved when they finally made it to their bed. "No, I'm not particularly tired. If you would like to rest, I can—"

"Jo, shut up. I was being polite. You're going to sleep and that is final." The cowgirl demanded with a smile on her face. Jo gaped at her for a moment, unsure about how to respond. "Lay down Jo, I'll be right here."

* * *

**So next chapter... How will Jo react to being the one being "saved"? Send me REVIEWS or PMs! Thanks for reading. Also, I do NOT own Burst Angel.**

**-JZ**


	6. Dreams

**Okay, so I know it has been a while, but heck... I totally like writing this story. I hope you like this chapter and remember that REVIEWS=UPDATES! Haha, well this one gets a little... warm. Hope you like it!**

**I don't own burst angel (cuz if i did, it would have turned out more like this)**

**-JZ**

* * *

"_**Jo, I'm expecting great things. I've spent years preparing you for this. Do not fail." The scientist warned, sitting across from Jo in a helicopter. The chopper's propellers drowned out his voice, but Jo's sensitive ears easily distinguished it from the loud noises around her. She was silent, showing no signs of hearing him. "I don't waste my time on failures. I suggest that you do your job well, and perhaps put on a show." Jo's only reaction was a slight twitch of her eyebrows, this made him chuckle darkly. "Oh yes, I forgot. You don't understand what I mean by putting on a 'show,' do you?" He laughed even more as she remained unresponsive. He was mocking her and she didn't like it. She didn't like him at all, but he did take her out for these field tests and that allowed her to get out of the bright, sterile scented lab. She made her decision a long time ago however. She didn't like him, and that fact wouldn't change. **_

"_**Sir, we are landing. The LZ is hot, we won't be down for long." The pilot said through his headset. The doctor stopped his laughing and a wicked smile settled on his face.**_

"_**There is no need to land." He assured, glancing at Jo. "Time for you to make me proud." He chuckled again, his voice holding nothing but sarcasm and mockery. The helicopter hovered twenty feet off the ground, there was gunfire cutting through the propeller's loud hum. Jo grabbed the pistol as the doctor held it out. It was cold, dark, and light in her grasp. As she opened the sliding door, she jumped into the warzone below. **_

_**Gunshots whizzed pass her head as gravity brought her towards the earth. Flipping the useless safety button into the off position, she twisted her arm and shot one man, clad in kaki apparel, and he immediately fell to the ground, lifeless. More shots fired, this time at her, and she reacted instantaneously, firing off three rounds directly at her targets. Three heavy thumps signaled solid hits and she hunted down more enemies. The night was dark, the battlefield cold and red. Bombs went off in the distance, shouts of anger and pain filled the night air, the smell of fuel polluted the once busy, tranquil city. There were no civilians left, just corpses and whispers. This desolated landscaped had once been home to over two million families, but now it only offers refuge to hate and fear. **_

_**She wasn't on a side, nor did she care who she killed. Her job was to take out anyone she saw, whether they posed a threat or not. Several hours later, and hundreds or thousands of mutilated bodies later, Jo crouched against a crumbling wall, panting and out of breath. Her eyes gleamed with excitement, their redness appearing like rubies in the morning light. She could hear someone on the other side. Her pistol ready, she turned the corner of the wall, greeted by a six inch kitchen knife. She narrowly dodged it by deflecting it a couple centimeters away from her abdomen. Punching the wielder with an iron fist, she felt warm blood pour through her knuckles and fingers. **_

"_**Die!" The man yelled, trying again to slice her with his knife. He was bleeding heavily from the nose, but his blood shot eyes and unkept appearance showed that a bloody nose was the least of his problems. As he swiped it wildly, she grabbed his wrist and plummeted the sharp weapon into his chest. He let out a quiet gurgle, still attempting to shout things at her. "Sscllurgg…" He mumbled, blood catching in his throat and filling his lungs. Fear flooded his eyes as he realized that he was dying. Dark crimson started to coat her shirt as she pushed him against the wall, driving the knife further into his lung. Bombs exploded nearby, most likely his comrades fighting their enemies. Jo inhaled the metallic scent of fresh blood, a sensation of calmness washed through her. "M-m-ma-ar-ry…" He choked, a shaky hand gripping the front pocket of his dirty vest. She became frustrated by his pathetic actions. Jo ripped the blade from his chest, then plunged it into his vulnerable neck, rapidly accelerating his blood loss rate. As the last of his vital liquid exited his veins, Jo let him slump to the ground. Out of a nagging curiosity, she pulled out the contents of his front pocket. An ID card saying "Louis F. Sanders" read along the top and his information was found below. She didn't care for that, throwing it to the side lazily. Next was a note, and since reading had never interested her before, she certainly didn't waste time on it now. Lastly, there was a photograph of a beautiful dark haired woman and "Louis" together at some garden, sitting on a bench with flowers around them. They were both smiling, hugging each other in pure bliss. On the back, she read the short caption, "Mary and me, the day I proposed." **_

Jo sat up, shaking her head violently. All she wanted was to get the pictures out of her damn mind. Faces of people she'd killed long ago, just appearing in her dreams. She was breathing hard, feeling cold sweat roll down her neck. Searching around for her guns, all she saw was a peaceful Meg slightly snoring beside her. Dull agony pulsated from her leg, making her uncomfortable and fidgety. Glancing back to the sleeping girl momentarily, Jo eased off the bed and limped to the bathroom. Closing the door, she regained control of her breathing and looked in the mirror. Hair in disarray, dark circles under her red eyes, and pale skin adorned her features.

Jo turned the sink on, splashing cold water on her face. Memories of last night started to resurface, making her internally groan. It took forever to finally fall asleep, and worse yet, Meg refused to sleep until she was sure Jo was asleep. That had agitated the gunslinger, causing her to remain awake even longer. And then Meg started talking about how important it was for Jo to tell her if something was wrong, and how showing weaknesses didn't make you weak. That sounded like bullshit to Jo, but she didn't comment. Instead, she stayed silent throughout the entire night, protesting the entire situation. She wasn't weak and she wasn't going to let Meg think for a second that she was.

"Jo, what's wrong?" Meg whispered, quietly opening the door to see Jo wiping her face off with a towel. "You should be sleeping." Meg sighed, at a loss for how to handle Jo. Through all the years they had known each other, never had Meg had to take care of Jo except for the occasional gunshot wound. "Do you want to talk about it?" She tried, wishing that Jo would at least put some effort into communicating. Jo's silence was the only answer. "It's only three in the morning, Jo. There has to be some reason why you are awake."

"Go back to sleep Meg." Jo said, looking at Meg in her lazy non-caring fashion. Meg almost wanted to cry, but knew that the action would only confuse Jo.

"What was it? Your leg? Noises? Missing your guns? Me? A bad dre—"

"Meg, I said go back to sleep." Jo stated firmly, not looking at her partner. Meg felt like a light bulb had just gone off.

"You have bad dreams?" Meg didn't understand why that was so surprising, but it was. She was slightly stunned that the gunslinger had dreams at all, since she never heard Jo mention them. "Dah, of course you'd have bad dreams." Meg told herself, amazed that it had never occurred to her sooner. Jo, the world's most dangerous mercenary, someone who has single handedly killed thousands of people. It only made sense that her waking life would haunt the warrior's unconscious world. "So what was it about?"

"Nothing important." Jo said quickly, hobbling towards the door, of which Meg was blocking.

"Really?" Meg rolled her eyes, not believing Jo for a second. "Sometimes talking about these things can change your dreams, make them better." Meg hoped Jo would at least try, however the gunslinger only limped pass the redhead.

"You can't change the past…" She whispered, confused by Meg's logic.

"Wait, these are memories?" Jo answered with silence as she got back into the bed and put the pillow over her head. "Memories from when?"

"Doesn't matter." Jo muttered sleepily.

"When Jo? After you met me, or before?" Meg demanded, suddenly frightened.

"Before…" Meg gulped unconsciously, and her hands began to tremble. She remembered how terrible it was being captured by Maria, how awful that laboratory was. After everything her and Jo had been through, she didn't want to know about the gunfighter's past. It was too… too petrifying. For the first time since she thought Jo had died, Meg feared that she wasn't strong enough for Jo. Of all the things the redhead was prepared for, Jo's past was not one of them.

"Jo… I… I—"

"I said it doesn't matter." Jo's tone held genuine anger, obviously desperate for Meg to drop the subject. With a sigh of relief, which she covered it up as annoyance, Meg walked back to their bed and pulled herself under the covers.

"Jo, you're going to get cold." Meg told her affectionately, urging the stubborn gunslinger to join her under the two plush quilts. The bed had been Meg's choice, though it was obvious to anyone that the perky redhead had designed it. It was large, a full sized bed, and had bright lime green and hot pink quilts. One quilt had poke-a-dots and the other had stripes, both retaining the ability to burn Jo's retinas. Also they were extremely soft and plush, a severe contrast to Jo's cold and hard style of sleeping areas. Meg had also adorned the bed with five huge fluffy pillows, of which Jo only used one for occasions such as now where she covered her head with it. Normally she didn't sleep with one, and that fact had confused Meg ever since the first time they'd met. "Are you asleep yet?"

"Nnnng…" Jo murmured from beneath the pillow, forcing a smile to appear on the redhead's lips.

"You look so adorable right now, do you know that?" Meg hummed, snuggling into the warrior beside her. She was always amazed by the toned muscles that made Jo's body like steel. Meg felt safe and complete when she was next to Jo, and often found that she sleep was impossible unless the gunfighter was in sight.

"Meg…" Jo grumbled softly, stiffening up at their close proximity. It wasn't that she didn't like Meg close, but sometimes a strange sensation would come over her and she felt a need for Meg to be much, much closer. Jo hadn't worked out her thoughts though, opting for just burying them until they were forced to be dealt with. Situations like right now made Jo confused and unsure about what Meg really wanted, thus giving her a headache.

"Something wrong Jo?" Meg sang out innocently, her head lying on Jo's stomach causing vibrations to ring throughout the fighter's body.

"N-nothing…" The silver haired girl fought back her puzzlement; a shiver jolted her as the vibrations tickled her body.

"Mmmm Jo… never leave me again, okay?" Meg mumbled sleepily, dozing off before Jo could respond. Lifting the pillow from her face cautiously, Jo glanced down at the girl whom was clinging to her shirt for dear life.

"Sure… for you, I'll try." Jo told the sleeping figure, distracted by the hot breath that seeped through the fabric of her shirt. Soon they both fall back into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

"Jo…" Meg murmured, pulling Jo from the blackness of unconsciousness. It had been a while since Jo had gotten a dreamless sleep, and it was odd how having Meg so close caused it to happen. "Jooooo…" Meg groaned, tugging on Jo's shirt and making the gunfighter open her eyes.

"Yes, Meg?" Jo asked, staring in befuddlement at the redhead. "Meg—"

"Oh, Jo… please…" Meg continued to moan, releasing Jo's tank top and exploring Jo's bare abs. Jo fidgeted slightly, unsure of what the feeling that was welling up inside her was. Suddenly, Jo realized that Meg was dreaming and by the sounds of it, it was a good dream. Not knowing how to react to this situation, Jo froze, fighting the warmth Meg was causing.

"MEG, JO! We're going shopping! We'll be back late!" Amy's unmistakable high pitched voice made both girls jump, Meg a lot more than Jo. Jo studied the redhead, wondering why her face was so red and her eyes kept darting around.

"Okay!" Meg shrieked back, her voice unnaturally high. She was sitting on the bed now, a good distance from the gunslinger, and refusing to make eye contact. "Did Amy wake you up, Jo?"

"No." The fighter stated, not seeing any reason to elaborate.

"Oh…" Meg blushed even more, praying that she didn't do what she thinks she did. "Um, how did you sleep?"

"Fine." Jo was emotionless, but Meg didn't expect much else. "Did you have good dreams?" Jo wondered innocently, confused when Meg's blush increased tenfold.

"Definitely." Meg couldn't stop the small smile that crept onto her face when she thought of her dream. "It was a very good dream." One that I hope will become a reality one day, Meg thought to herself sighing.

"Meg I… I didn't want to be rude last night. I apologize." Jo grumbled quietly, already standing and throwing on some clothes. Meg had never heard Jo apologize before, not for real. She saw Jo wince when she stepped on her leg, using the dresser for support while she regained her balance.

"I know this is hard for you, okay?" Meg soothed the gunfighter, knowing that even though Jo didn't show it, she was nervous. "You don't have to be so strong all the time."

"Yes Meg, I do." Jo stated firmly, pulling a new shirt over her head.

"Not in front of me, Jo. I already know you're strong; you don't have to prove it all the time." It seemed so simple to the redhead, but still the gunslinger refused.

"I have to make sure you know I'm able to take care of you." Jo tried to make the other girl understand. This was Jo Logic, meaning that it was all Jo knew, and Meg began to slowing understand this. "I want you to stay by my side." Jo didn't comprehend the full meaning of it, but that was what she wanted, what she needed.

"Oh Jo, I'll always be yours. You are the strongest person I've ever seen, but that's not why I stay with you." Meg spoke softly as she walked up behind Jo, stopping just as her breasts brushed the other girl's back. "I can't imagine my life without you, Jo. I know that you will do whatever it takes to keep me safe, and I really appreciate it. You make me feel safe, and even when I do get captured, I always know that you'll save me."

"Why?" Meg was silent, not able to understand the question. "What is this thing that I sense when I'm around you?" Jo growled, frustrated. She gripped the dresser with both hands, leaning forward and putting all her weight on her arms. "It burns and messes with my head. Even my heart beat faster than in any battle… Am I sick?" Jo mostly spoke to herself, closing her eyes as a low growl passed her throat.

"Jo, that's love." Meg laughed, hugging the fighter from behind, squeezing Jo with all her might. "I love you too." Meg buried her nose in the crook of Jo's neck, whispering in her ear.

"I-is it bad?" Jo vaguely remembered 'love' being used in conversations, but she never really paid any attention. Meg giggled softly in Jo's ear, breasts pressing pleasurably into Jo's back.

"No, it's good. It is a feeling." Jo cringed at the word, recalling Meg's threat to talk about emotions.

"I don't like it…" Meg's heart sunk at Jo's disgust. "It's doing it again."

"What?"

"Making my heartbeat speed up. Only fighting can do that." Jo stated stubbornly, not believing that any emotion was good. "It only does that when you are around." Jo almost sounded accusing, but Meg didn't blame her. It was something unfamiliar and Jo never trusted change.

"Jo, I wish you knew what you were saying right now." Meg sighed, unable to hide the joy she felt hearing how honest Jo was. "Turn around." When Jo didn't listen, Meg loosened the hug. "Please, Jo?" Reluctantly the fighter relented, and now Meg was loosely hold Jo. "Now just relax."

"Why?" Jo responded quickly, nerves building up inside her rapidly.

"Nervous, Jo?" Meg needed to do this before she lost confidence, but seeing how anxious Jo was strengthened her resolve. This should help both of them, and that was supposed to be her job right? Helping Jo?

"N-no…"

"Then you don't trust me?"

"I-I didn't s-say that." Jo stuttered, bewildered as to why she was stuttering at all. She felt a thousand volts pumping through her veins, fire burning the spots Meg touched.

"Are you afraid of me then?" Meg questioned, stepping closer to Jo. In response, Jo backed away, her shoulders colliding with the wall. Now Meg was pressed against her, lips feathering the lobe of Jo's ear. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." Meg felt bolder, and feeling Jo's tense muscles made her even more determined.

"Are you feeling okay, Me—" The redhead silenced her victim with a kiss. It was soft at first contact, slowly questioning the actions, but as Jo froze, not denying the contact nor accepting it, the pressure increased. Soon, the stunned warrior began to reciprocate, and it became intense and passionate. Pent up emotions, of which Jo knew little about, were released and they relished the new found sensations. Meg looped her fingers in Jo's belts, suggestively tugging the warrior closer. Jo's hands were softly caressing Meg's neck and cheeks, calloused hands turning gentle in fear of harming the delicate skin, slowly rubbing circles and guiding Meg's head into a better position. It was all instinct. Meg walked backwards, pulling Jo with her as they fell onto the bed. Jo kissed Meg hard, the pressure adding immense pleasure as their tongues danced for a graceful battle of dominance. Meg was on her back, Jo pinning her to the bed with the simple kiss. After a while, they broke apart, the need for oxygen becoming important. Jo rolled to the side, sitting and panting as she glanced towards Meg.

"That was amazing…" Meg breathed out, mind still swimming in a sparkling haze.

"You moaned like when you were asleep." Jo informed her, now thinking that she knew what Meg was dreaming about.

"That was certainly better than a dream." Meg laughed, arms going around Jo's neck and pulling her into a laying position. "See Jo, love isn't bad."

* * *

**Lots of ups and downs... lefts, rights... and there'll be even more twists as we go! I really like writing this, but it is even more fun if people REVIEW and/ or PM me! Thank you to all those that have, and I'm not mad at those who don't. I admire you for reading this, and thank you all immensly. **

**Thank you for reading!**

**And thanks to all those that REVIEW or PM! PMs are not overrated... they are underrated!**

**-JZ**


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